Page 109 of Behind the Bench

He releases a deep sigh. “Yeah, I’m okay. My parents were unavailable today and I really hate having to rely on them so much. They’re retired. They should be enjoying their time together, not taking care of a five-year-old.”

We stand talking for a few minutes, and are interrupted by a high-pitch whistle that silences the entire room.

“Good morning, Bobcats! My name is Sadie and I’ll be leading you through an exciting session of goat yoga today. And if it’s okay with her dad, Sophia here would love to be my assistant today.”

The entire team looks back at Niko. He’s standing next to us, eyes widened and clinging to Sadie like she’s the only person in the room.

I nudge him with my shoulder. “Cap? Is it okay if Sophia helps Sadie today?”

Niko shakes his head, clearing whatever fog he seemed to be in. “Yeah, yeah. Of course she can help. As long as it’s okay with you.”

Sadie shoots Niko a smile that could bring any grown man to his knees. Except me. The only place you’ll find me on my knees is in front of Ellie.

“Of course she can help!” She claps her hands two times and tells everyone to get in their place.

Niko grabs my arm as I go to find a mat. “Is that the same Sadie from Thanksgiving?”

I nod my head. “Yeah, she’s Ellie’s best friend and roommate. You didn’t recognize her?”

He shakes his head but keeps his eyes glued on Sadie. “I had a lot going on with Sophia and her mom that week. But damn. How can I not remember how stunning she was?”

I laugh and leave Niko to stare at Sadie in peace. I find an empty mat at the far end of the room, which just happens to be directly behind Ellie. She’s busy stretching her body,leaning back and forth as she tries to loosen her muscles before we get started. I stand in awe, admiring her muscular body in her yoga attire. Her pants hug her hockey ass so well it should be illegal. She’s wearing a tight shirt which may hide her cleavage, but it pushes her tits together and suddenly I’m wishing my face was between them. When she leans over to stretch out her hamstrings, I can no longer bite my tongue.

“Good lord, Montgomery. You’re asking for a spanking today.”

Ellie stays leaning over, but turns her head so she can see me. “Keep it in your pants, Scott. There are children present.” Her words come out both flirty and sassy. I can’t wait to get her alone later and wrap my hand around that damn ponytail. I’m going to make her mouth pay for all that sass.

Sadie’s voice interrupts my dirty thoughts and she instructs us to get into our first position. She sits down and demonstrates while the four goats run wild between us. Everyone’s following her instructions, but also enjoying the show the goats are putting on at the same time.

I may not have ever imagined spending my Thursday doing goat yoga with a bunch of grown men, but there’s not a damn thing Ellie Montgomery could ask me that I wouldn’t do.

We may just be getting started, but that woman is my sun and my stars.

And I’ll spend today and every day after proving it to her.

FIVE YEARS LATER

It’s Opening Night here in Green Bay, and no matter how long I’ve been doing this, the nerves running through my body have me pacing the tunnel like a madwoman. They may be a little more amplified tonight considering this is my first season as head coach of the Green Bay Bobcats.

Holy shit, I’m the first female head coach in the NHL.

We’ve had an amazing five years as an organization. Thinking back to the first year of our rebuild, I can’t believe how far we’ve come. Walking into that conference room and seeing Lincoln Scott standing there feels like a million years ago. We proved the world wrong and made it to the second round of playoffs that year. Although we came up short, it was still an amazing accomplishment with a completely new coaching staff.

Every year since then, we’ve battled our way to the top of our division and made it to the playoffs each time. Last year, not only did we make it to the Finals, but after a grueling seven games, we got to raise the Stanley Cup above our heads.

I still can’t wrap my head around it if I’m beingcompletely honest. Winning the Stanley Cup is every little boy and girls’ dream. But as a woman, that dream had always been more like a fantasy.

Now here I am, waiting in the tunnel for the banner ceremony to begin.

Is this real life?

The music begins to play out in the arena and that’s our cue to make our way to the ice. Hunter makes his way toward me with our new assistant coach, Maggie. Not only am I the first female head coach, but we are also the first team in the NHL to have two women behind the bench.

Jerry has made it his mission as our GM to prove to the world that women belong in sports. His task was made easier after the owners stepped down and their daughter, Marie, took over the team. Together, Jerry and Marie have changed the image of the organization. Everywhere you look from the bench, to the training room, to the front office, you’ll see just as many females as you do men.

I’m the luckiest woman on the planet to be given this opportunity, and it’s definitely not something I take for granted.

Niko is the first player out of the locker room and he stops next to me before heading to the ice entrance. “Looking good, Head Coach Ellie. I’ve always loved the white.”

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